Prof. Dr. Denitsa Docheva
Experimental Trauma Surgery, Department of Trauma Surgery, University Regensburg Medical Centre
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Academic Career Length
28Years (1999-Present)
(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)
Representative Publications
View All Publications1 April 2015 in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
Journal Article
Denitsa DochevaSMSebastian A. Müller
Sebastian A. Müller
MMMartin Majewski
Martin Majewski
CEChristopher H. Evans
Christopher H. Evans
Tendon injuries are common and present a clinical challenge to orthopedic surgery mainly because these injuries often respond poorly to treatment and require prolonged rehabilitation. Therapeutic options used to repair ruptured tendons have consisted of suture, autografts, allografts, and synthetic prostheses. To date, none of these alternatives has provided a successful long-term solution, and often the restored tendons do not recover their complete strength and functionality. Unfortunately, our understanding of tendon biology lags far behind that of other musculoskeletal tissues, thus impeding the development of new treatment options for tendon conditions. Hence, in this review, after introducing the clinical significance of tendon diseases and the present understanding of tendon biology, we describe and critically assess the current strategies for enhancing tendon repair by biological means. These consist mainly of applying growth factors, stem cells, natural biomaterials and genes, alone or in combination, to the site of tendon damage. A deeper understanding of how tendon tissue and cells operate, combined with practical applications of modern molecular and cellular tools could provide the long awaited breakthrough in designing effective tendon-specific therapeutics and overall improvement of tendon disease management.
1 January 2005 in Molecular and Cellular Biology
Journal Article
Denitsa DochevaEHErnst B. Hunziker
Ernst B. Hunziker
RFReinhard Fässler
Reinhard FässlerOBOliver Brandau
Oliver Brandau
Tenomodulin (Tnmd) is a member of a new family of type II transmembrane glycoproteins. It is predominantly expressed in tendons, ligaments, and eyes, whereas the only other family member, chondromodulin I (ChM-I), is highly expressed in cartilage and at lower levels in the eye and thymus. The C-terminal extracellular domains of both proteins were shown to modulate endothelial-cell proliferation and tube formation in vitro and in vivo. We analyzed Tnmd function in vivo and provide evidence that Tnmd is processed in vivo and that the proteolytically cleaved C-terminal domain can be found in tendon extracts. Loss of Tnmd expression in gene targeted mice abated tenocyte proliferation and led to a reduced tenocyte density. The deposited amounts of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen types I, II, III, and VI and decorin, lumican, aggrecan, and matrilin-2, were not affected, but the calibers of collagen fibrils varied significantly and exhibited increased maximal diameters. Tnmd-deficient mice did not have changes in tendon vessel density, and mice lacking both Tnmd and ChM-I had normal retinal vascularization and neovascularization after oxygen-induced retinopathy. These results suggest that Tnmd is a regulator of tenocyte proliferation and is involved in collagen fibril maturation but do not confirm an in vivo involvement of Tnmd in angiogenesis.
1 April 2003 in Genes & Development
Journal Article
TSTakao Sakai
Takao Sakai
SLShaohua Li
Shaohua Li
Denitsa DochevaCGCarsten Grashoff
Carsten Grashoff
KSKeiko Sakai
Keiko Sakai
RFReinhard Fässler
Reinhard Fässler
+4
Integrin-mediated cell–matrix interactions are essential for development, tissue homeostasis, and repair. Upon ligand binding, integrins are recruited into focal adhesions (FAs). Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is an FA component that interacts with the cytoplasmic domains of integrins, recruits adaptor proteins that link integrins to the actin cytoskeleton, and phosphorylates the serine/threonine kinases PKB/Akt and GSK-3β. Here we show that mice lacking ILK expression die at the peri-implantation stage because they fail to polarize their epiblast and to cavitate. The impaired epiblast polarization is associated with abnormal F-actin accumulation at sites of integrin attachments to the basement membrane (BM) zone. Likewise, ILK-deficient fibroblasts showed abnormal F-actin aggregates associated with impaired cell spreading and delayed formation of stress fibers and FAs. Finally, ILK-deficient fibroblasts have diminished proliferation rates. However, insulin or PDGF treatment did not impair phosphorylation of PKB/Akt and GSK-3β, indicating that the proliferation defect is not due to absent or reduced ILK-mediated phosphorylation of these substrates in vivo. Furthermore, expression of a mutant ILK lacking kinase activity and/or paxillin binding in ILK-deficient fibroblasts can rescue cell spreading, F-actin organization, FA formation, and proliferation. Altogether these data show that mammalian ILK modulates actin rearrangements at integrin-adhesion sites.
1 January 2007 in Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Journal Article
Denitsa DochevaCPCvetan Popov
Cvetan PopovWMWolf Mutschler
Wolf Mutschler
MSMatthias Schieker
Matthias SchiekerMesenchymal stem cells and their clinical relevance Integrins and their importance Cell surface molecules on MSCs Integrin system of MSCs Engagement of integrins in MSC differentiation, attachment to coating materials, survival on scaffolds and neoplastic transformation Conclusions The identification of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in adult human tissues and the disclosure of their self‐renew‐al and multi‐lineage differentiation capabilities have provided exciting prospects for cell‐based regeneration and tis‐sue engineering. Although a considerable amount of data is available describing MSCs, there is still lack of information regarding the molecular mechanisms that govern their adhesion and migration. In this work, we will review the current state of knowledge on integrins and other adhesion molecules found to be expressed on MSCs. The dis‐cussed topics include the characteristics of MSCs and their clinical applications, integrins and their central role in cell‐matrix attachment and migration, and comments on mobilization, differentiation and contribution to tumour development. Finally, by understanding the complex and fundamental pathways by which MSCs attach and migrate, it might be possible to fine‐tune the strategies for effective and safe use of MSCs in regenerative therapies.
10 September 2020 in RSC Advances
Journal Article
Kalim Deshmukh
Tomáš KováříkTKTomáš Křenek
Tomáš KřenekDenitsa DochevaTSTheresia Stich
Theresia Stich
JPJosef Pola
Josef Pola
Sol–gel derived bioactive glasses have been extensively explored as a promising and highly porous scaffold materials for bone tissue regeneration applications owing to their exceptional osteoconductivity, osteostimulation and degradation rates.
1 July 2017 in EFORT Open Reviews
Journal Article
Tendons connect muscles to bones, ensuring joint movement. With advanced age, tendons become more prone to degeneration followed by injuries. Tendon repair often requires lengthy periods of rehabilitation, especially in elderly patients. Existing medical and surgical treatments often fail to regain full tendon function. The development of novel treatment methods has been hampered due to limited understanding of basic tendon biology. Recently, it was discovered that tendons, similar to other mesenchymal tissues, contain tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) which possess the common stem cell properties. The current strategies for enhancing tendon repair consist mainly of applying stem cells, growth factors, natural and artificial biomaterials alone or in combination. In this review, we summarise the basic biology of tendon tissues and provide an update on the latest repair proposals for tendon tears. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2017;2:332-342. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.2.160075
About Me
Denitsa Docheva was born in Karlovo, Bulgaria. She studied in specialized gymnasium class on biology, chemistry and English and graduatedwith two master degrees in biology and chemistry from the Faculty of Natural Sciences in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Afterwards she did her PhD in Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry (Dep. of Molecular Medicine) in Martinsried, Germany and graduated in 2005. In 2006, she established the tendon research group in the Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. In 2012, Denitsa Docheva completed her habilitation in Experimental Surgery.
In September 2016, she was appointed Professor and Director of Experimental Trauma Surgery in the Department of Trauma Surgery in University Regensburg Medical Centre, Regensburg, Germany. In addition, she currently holds a Guest-Professorship in the Department of Medical Biology, Medical University of Plovdiv.
She has published more than 80 articles with h-index of 24 and sum of times cited 2560. She has won more than 25 grant proposals with total funds of approx 2.6 million Euros including three EU grants (MATEGRA, ACHILLES and MEFISTO). She has supervised more than 50 research fellows from around the globe. She is the President of the European Orthopaedic Research Society (www.eors.info) and in 2017 she organized the 25th Annual Meeting. She is a member of ICORS steering committee and co-organizer of ICORS 2022.